“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:13-16
“Rejoice in the Lord always: I say again rejoice” Philippians 4:4
Praise is so critical in times of suffering and darkness. When it feels like all odds are against you, God is for you. When you feel the oppressive darkness closing in, Jesus is the Light. When you feel weak and overwhelmed by the situation, Jesus is your power.
Prayer is necessary at all times and especially when the battle is raging all around you but I contend that prayer is not always enough. Wow! I’m sure many are saying that I’m wrong, prayer is always enough. I’m not saying that at all. What I am saying is that our hearts and souls can be in such a place at times that our prayer may not be effective.
I know, and depend upon the words of St. Paul in Romans 8:26 – “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” We depend on the Holy Spirit and omniscience of God in all times and especially when we are broken.
But, we can be drawn into a place of doubt and fear by the enemy in times of trouble and lose the ‘righteousness’ of our prayer and in that lose the power and effectiveness of the words.
I can attest firsthand at the truth of this. In those days when my daughter was first sick a decade ago, I was praying but had lost the heart behind the words. I had been worn by the day after day battle. My prayers had become only words, often hollow at that. Praise God, He was still listening and that He judges our intent if not always the actions or outcome.
In my prayers, I had lost the flame of His Divine Will and Grace. I got to where my prayer of the Our Father has lost parts in my soul, I didn’t pray with full heart ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done.” I had lost the center of praise and forgotten all the God had done for me.
So, I praise that He heard me through the storm of my heart and answered.
I then realized the power of praise in prayer. Prayer alone is awesome but Prayer powered by Praise is so much more powerful. To pray from the Sign of the Cross to the Amen with praise is like kicking in the grace filled caffeine of prayer. Lifting your heart and mind to praise God in your prayer, even in the darkest night, makes the darkness flee in terror. The Light that is Jesus flows through the prayer in the Fire of the Holy Spirit.
I try hard now to pray in a heart of praise in all my prayers and in all situations. When praying over another soul, I know all miracles worked are at the hand of Jesus, I am nothing but the ‘sighs and moaning’ words. It is the power and grace of God that moves mountains. So, praise that power! As I sit with a community we belong to called the Apostles of Joy, we always pray the common prayer of unity, “I praise You, Jesus”. Repeating this prayer of praise to our Mighty God over and over.
This is the prayer of our soul. Our soul wants, desires to praise God. So, give our soul its wings in our words of praise when we pray. Even in the direst of times, remember the great things God has done for you. If that is hard in the moment, simply focus on His Divine Mercy. Focus on the crucifix in your prayer, “Jesus, I trust in You”, “I praise You, Jesus” and let the grace of God fill you with light and chase away the darkness and fear and doubt and worry.
And, if you can sing that praise, lift up your voice!
“They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; they shout from the west over the majesty of the Lord.” Isaiah 24:14